Cabinet Peaks Medical Center opens in Libby
by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio
January 31, 2014
A long-awaited transition from the old to the new has taken place for Libby. St. John's Lutheran Hospital (SJLH) has closed its doors after decades of service to the area and the new Cabinet Peaks Medical Center (CPMC) has opened. Thursday, January 30, the transfer of patients from St. John's Lutheran Hospital to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center took place. Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, a 77,000 square foot facility, will provide South Lincoln County's residents with quality, compassionate care, and provide patients with a state-of-the-art healthcare experience.
The emergency area at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center has completely private rooms which are much larger than the ones we currently have at St. John's Lutheran Hospital. The department has rooms specifically designated for trauma, cardiac, pediatric and obstetrics, as well as orthopedic patients. The set up and room size means a higher comfort level and improved privacy for all of our patients.
There are two key changes that the public will notice. The first is the location of the helipad in relation to the department, which has a direct entrance to the ED for easy access for emergency personnel.
Cabinet Peaks Medical Center has two separate entrances and nurses stations for the emergency department and the walk-in clinic. Patients who wish to be seen in the walk-in clinic will enter through the main doors of Cabinet Peaks Medical Center and proceed directly to a registration area specifically for the clinic. Patients who are in need of emergency care will enter through the emergency entrance in the rear of the facility. The entrance to the emergency department is controlled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for increased security, and is open and physician staffed around the clock. The walk-in clinic at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center is open from 9am to 6pm 7 days a week, and closed on major holidays.
With more than double the square footage in the operating rooms, plus twice the number of surgical prep and post care units, brand new lighting, a new boom, and large screen monitors, the old St. John's operating rooms could fit into one of the operating rooms at the new Cabinet Peaks Medical Center. Physicians and staff will have much more room to comfortably and safely perform surgeries.
CPMC has double the number of post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) rooms. Both of the operating rooms at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center have brand new state-of-the-art lighting in them, and one of the rooms boasts a new boom with large screen monitor that will aid in minimally invasive surgeries. The new surgical department also has an isolation room with air flow exchange, which is new to the department, and two new top-of-the-line autoclaves for the sterilization of instruments.
The new facility comes equipped with a special lactation room in the obstetrics department. This comfortable, private room can be used to aid mothers who need a little bit of extra help and assistance in breast feeding their little ones.
New amenities offered to those who choose Cabinet Peaks Medical Center include plush, cozy robes especially for laboring mothers; and a basket with special soaps, shampoos, and other goodies to make mothers feel extra special.
In October of 2013, SJLH started a program to provide new parents with professional baby photos. These photos are currently being taken inside the hospital before mother and baby are even discharged home, allowing for a convenient and priceless gift for parents who choose their local medical center to welcome their new family members into the world. This service will continue at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center.
A Birthing Center diaper bag will be sent home with all new mothers.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was on Friday, January 31, 2014 at noon in front of the main entrance to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center.
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By Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio, e-mail: klcb@frontiernet.net, www.klcb-ktny.com.
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